Lubrication and fugitive tinting of synthetic yarns



Patented Oct. 13, 1942 LUBRICATION AND FUGITIVE TINTING OF SYNTHETIC YARNS Howard A. Thompson, Kingsport, Tenn., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company,

Rochester, N. Y.,

a corporation of New J ersey No Drawing. Application December 16, 1940,

Serial No. 370,348;

- 13 Claims. (01. 252-8.8)

This invention relates to the conditioning of textile yarns and more particularly to a process for the simultaneous lubrication and fugitive tinting of yarns .composed of organic derivatives of cellulose such as cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate and the like. The invention also relates to a method of emulsifying certain difiicultly emulsifiable textile lubricants.

As is well known, it is a customary procedure in the textile trade to apply a temporary color to yarns for the purpose of identification during the various manufacturing processes. These temporary colors or fugitive dyes are of such nature that they may be completely removed from the yarn by washing. For example, in the half-hose knitting trade, a cellulose acetate yarn may be knit along with some other yarn such as cotton or viscose in such manner that a pattern effect is obtained after cross dyeing. By having one of the yarns colored with a fugitive tint, the resulting fabric may be inspected for distinctness of pattern during the manufacturing operations. Such pattern effects may be produced by reverse plaiting in which the relative position of the cellulose acetate yarns is changed at intervals with respect to the face of the fabric. The cotton or viscose yarns may be plaited under the cellulose acetate yarn, in which case the cellulose acetate yarn runs freely while the other yarn is plaited under tension. On the other hand, the cellulose acetate yarn may be plaited under by placing it under tension while the other yarn runs freely. In case the cellulose acetate yarn is plaited over, it must run freely from the cone without tension or jerks if a fabric free from misplaits is to result. If it is plaited under, it must run smoothly under tension without jerking. In the latter case, uneven tension may cause both misplaits and cuts.

In one method of preparing a tinting halfhose knitting yarn, the yarn is tinted during the spinning process by application thereto of an aqueous solution or dispersion of a fugitive dyestuif, following which the yarn is lubricated by application if a textile lubricant. Notwithstanding the use of constant care in such a process there may be considerable difliculty in transfer of the yarn from the spining bobbin during the twisting operation. This will be clear when one considers the spinning operationin detail. For example, the yarn passes from the spinning cabinet across the face of the tint applying roll, around a godet roll, over a guide and thence to a ring and traveller device from which it passes on to the spinning bobbin. The ring is mounted on a traverse rail which controls the wind, that is, the number of turns the yarn makes around the bobbin between the base and head thereof. On spinning bobbins the wind is very high, that is, the number of turns the yarn makes around the bobbin from base to head is so high as to result in the filaments lying practically parallel to one another. Furthermore, there must be a very appreciable tension on the yarn in order that a firm package may be produced. These two factors, high wind and high tension, combine to embed the strands of yarn between one another as the package is built up. As long as the bobbin is hard, the yarn can be drawn over end with little difficulty. However, since the usual tinted spun yarn contains some 20% moisture which evaporates on standing, the yarn package becomes soft. As this occurs it becomes increasingly difficult for the filaments to slide out of the grooves in which they are embedded. In addition, as the water leaves the tinting solution on the yarn, the yarn will tend to stick or matt together due to the presence of soapwhich is customarily used in such solutions. The net result is a great deal of jerking as the yarn is drawn from the spinning bobbin onto the twisting frame. This causes frequent break-downs of-the yarn with resultant loss of material and labor.

This invention has as its object to provide a means of conditioning textile yarns, particularly yarns composed of or containing organic derivatives of cellulose such as cellulose acetate and similar cellulose organic acid esters to render them amenable to various textile operations such as knitting, weaving, spinning and the like, particularly spinning. A further object is to provide a means and method of simultaneously lubricating and fugitively tinting such yarns. A still further object is to provide a means and method of lubricating and fugitively tinting textile yarns which will eliminate the tendency of the yarn to jerk when being unwound from a bobbin or other yarn package onto a twisting frame. Another and specific object is to' provide a method of emulsifying butyl stearate. ,Other objects will appear hereinafter.

These objects are accomplished by the following invention which, in its broader aspects, comprises the compounding and application to the yarn of a lubricating composition containing, as its essential lubricating component, butyl stearate, emulsification of the butyl stearate being accomplished by means of a combination 'of phosphated or unphosphated blown neats-foot oil and a soap,

such as monoethanolamine oleate, tov I gether with a blending agent which functions to solubilize the emulsifying agent or agents in the primary lubricant. As to the blending agent, I prefer to use a high molecular weight terpene ether or ether alcohol, the preparation of which class of compound is described in U. S. Patent 2,136,011 and the use of which as blending agents in yarn treating compositions is described and claimed in the-copending application of J. R. Caldwell, Serial No. 370,- 349 filed December 16, 1940. The composition, if used as a combined lubricating and fugitive tinting composition will have added thereto an appropriate amount of a suitable fugitive dye. The composition may also contain certain other ingredients such as additional blending agents, leveling agents and similar ingredients custom arily employed in such compositions.

In carrying out the research work which eventually led to the instant invention, it appeared that a satisfactory way of overcoming the propensity of the yarn to jerk when being withdrawn from the bobbin was the applicationof a suitable lubricant in the aqueous tinting solution applied in spinning. For this purpose various oils which were self-emulsifiable, or which could be readily emulsified, were added to the tinting solution. Among those tried were sulphonated oils, polyhydric alcohols, sulphonated waxes, coning oils, pine oil and low viscosity mineral oil. Most of these oils provided sufficient lubrication to overcome the trouble in transfer, but in every case the knitting quality of the yarn was very seriously impaired, there being altogether too much friction.

The only lubricant available having lower friction characteristics than low viscosity mineral oil was butyl stearate, but this appeared to be ruled out, since previous attempts to obtain an emul-- sion of this compound satisfactory for yarn treating processes had proved to be unsuccessful. While many emulsions of this material could be obtained, none of them were suitable for application to yarn because of the fact that the amount of emulsifying agent required to obtain proper emulsification was so high as to render the product useless due to increased friction when applied to the yarn. Notwithstanding these adverse results, the experimental program was carried forthand it was found that if butyl stearate was emulsified with blown neats-foot oil or phosphated blown neats-foot oil and a suitable blending agent was employed to solubilize the emulsifying agent in the primary lubricant, this combination was capable of emulsifying four times its weight in butyl stearate and to give a composition which, when applied to the yarn did not unduly increase friction, a result which had theretofore been considered entirely out of the question. When a fugitive dyestuif was added to an aqueous emulsion of this oil and applied to the yarn in spinning by means of an applicator roll, it was found not only to provide the requisite tint and lubrication, but also to overcome the difliculty theretofore experienced in removing the tinted yarn from the spinning bobbin and to give the yarn both low friction characteristic and proper knitting quality. 7

In the following examples and description, I have set forth several of the preferredembodiments of my invention, but they are included merely forpurposes of illustration and not as a limitation thereof.

The compositions of my invention may best be illustrated by a consideration of certain typical examples thereof.

Example 1 v Parts by weight Butyl stear 79.2 Terpene ether 7.42 Phosphated blown ne ts-foot oil 9.9 Oleic acid 2.48 Monoethanolamine 1.0 Water 1900. Xylene Brilliant Blue BC 18. Acid Violet4 BNS 8.

Example 2 Parts by weight Butyl stearate 44.0 Potassium laurate.. 44.5 Terpene ether 4.1 Phosphated blown neats-foot oil 5.5 Oleic acid 1.35 Monoethanolamine .55 Water 4900. Xylene Brilliant Blue BC 45. Acid Violet 4 BN5 20.

Example 3 Parts by weight Butyl stear Blown neat's-foot oil 10 Terpene ether 5 Oleic acid 4 Monoethanolamine 'l 1 Water 4900 Xylene Brilliant blue BC 45 Acid Violet 4 BNS 20 thoroughly agitated and the balance of the water added to make the tinted oil emulsion up to the desired strength. Where potassium laurate is used, it is dissolved in the water in which the dyestuff is afterward dissolved and this soap-dye mixture is then added to the composition as above indicated.

In the compositions above described it may be noted that butyl stearate functions as the primary lubricant, the blown neat's-foot oil or phosphated blown neats-foot oil, together with the salt or soap of monoethanolamine formed by the interaction of oleic acid and this compound acts as the emulsifying agent, while the terpene ether acts as the blending agent between the emulsifying agent or agents and the primary lubricant.

It may be mentioned that to obtain optimum results the ratio of the mixture of emulsifying agent and blending agent to the primary lubricant should be on the order of at least 1:4, that is, there should not be much in excess of. four parts of lubricant to one part of the combination. On the other hand, the ratio of the emulsifying combination to the primary lubricant may be very much higher, but it should be noted that as this ratio increases, the greater will be the undesirable effect of the emulsifying agent in the composition. In other words, to substantially increase the amount of emulsifying agent present is to increase the amount of friction and thereby detrimentally affect the usefulness of the composition as a whole when applied to the yarn.

These compositions, which are preferablyapplied to the-yarn during the spinning operation,

may be applied by any of the standard methods, such as by means of a roll, wick, felt, spray or immersion. The particular point at which the to .75% based on' the dry weight of the yarn,

may be applied in spinning.

As indicated above, the outstandingfeature of my invention is the fact that an emulsion of butyl stearate satisfactory for application to yarn may thus be obtained. In other words, I have provided a method of utilizing this extremely valuable yarn lubricant in an emulsion, a result which has hitherto been considered out of the question. I

One of the outstanding features of my invention is the fact that yarn may be simultaneously lubricated and tinted from an aqueous emulsion, wound on a yarn package and subsequently removed therefrom without the undesirable jerking hitherto encountered. It will thus. be seen that the efficiency of the process of winding and twisting yarns has been greatly increased and a troublesome and expensive obstacle to smooth operation eliminated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of lubricating yarns composed of or containing an organic derivative of cellulose which comprises applying thereto an aqueous emulsion containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate emulsified with an emulsifyin agent selected from the group consisting of blown neats-foot oil and phosphated blown neats-foot oil as a primary emulsifying agent, and a secondary emulsifying agent, together with a blending agent.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the secondary emulsifying agent is a soap.

3. The method of lubricating yarns composed of or containing an organic derivative of cellulose which comprises applying thereto an aqueous emulsion containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate emulsified with an emulsifying agent selected from the group consisting of blown neats-foot oil and phosphated blown neats-foot oil as a primary emulsifying agent, and a secondary emulsifying agent, together with a terpene ether produced by condensing a polyhydric alcohol with an unsaturated terpene compound.

4. The, method of simultaneously lubricating and fugitively tinting yarns composed of or containing celluloseacetate which comprises applying thereto an equeous emulsion containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate einulsified with a mixture of phosphated blown neats-foot oil, monoethanolamine oleate, a terpene ether produced by condensing a polyhydric alcohol with an unsaturated terpene compound and a fugitive tint,

' 5. The method of simultaneously lubricating and fugitively tinting yarns composed of or containing cellulose acetate which comprises applying thereto an aqueous emulsion having the following composition: Parts'by weigh;

Butyl stearate 79.2 .Terpene ether (produced as described in U. S. Patent 2,136,011) 7.42 Phosphated blown neats-foot oil 9.9 Oleic acid 2.48 Monoethanolamine 1.0 Water 1900 Xylene Brilliant Blue BC 18 Acid Violet 4 BNS 8 6. The method of simultaneously lubricating and fugitively tinting yarns composed of or containing cellulose acetate which comprises applyingthereto an aqueous emulsion having the following composition: Parts by weight Butyl stearate 44.0 Potassium laurate 44.5 Terpene ether (produced as described in U. S. Patent 2,136,011) 4.1 Phosphated blown neats-foot oil 5.5 Oleic acid 1.35 Monoethanolamine .55

ater 4900 Xylene Brilliant Blue BC 1 45 Acid Violet 4 BNS 20 7. The method of simultaneously lubricating and fugitively tinting yarns composed of or containing cellulose acetate which comprises applying thereto an aqueous emulsion having the followin composition:

Butyl stearate Blown neats-foot oil 8. A textile lubricant containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate emulsified with a mixture of .blown neats-foot oil, a soap, and a terpene ether produced by condensing a polyhydric alcohol with an unsaturated terpene compound.

9. A textile lubricant containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate emulsified with a mixture of phosphated blown neatsfoot oil, and a soap, and a terpene ether produced by condensing a polyhydric alcohol with an unsaturated terpene compound.

10. A textile lubricating and fugitive tinting composition containing as its essential lubricating component butyl stearate emulsified with a mixture of phosphated blown neats-foot oil and monoethanolamine oleate, a terpene ether produced by condensing a polyhydric alcohol with an unsaturated terpene compound, and a fugitive tint.

11. A textile lubricating and fugitive tinting composition having the following composition: Parts by weight Butyl stearate 79.2

Parts by weight 12. A textile lubricating and fugitive tinting composition having the following composition:

4 Parts by weight Butyl stearate-.. 44.0

Potassium laurate 44.5 Terpene ether (produced as described in U. S. Patent 2,136,011) 4.1

Phosphated blown neats-foot oi1 5.5 Oleic acid 1.35 Monoethanolamine .55 Water 4900 Xylene Brilliant Blue BC 45 Acid Violet 4 BNS 20 1a. A textile lubricating and iuziiive tinting composition having the following composition:

HOWARD A. THOMPSON. 

